A Walk in the Woods
by AgentT
Summary: Things aren't like they expect when Derek, Chloe, Lan, and Jason travel to New York to find the truth behind a curse
1. A Walk in the Woods

Derek squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. 

"Would you stop moving around?" Chloe said, whapping him with her magazine. She flipped back to the page she was at and continued to read. 

The usual hustle and bustle of the airport was slightly new to Derek, who for some odd reason didn't enjoy flying. He had only flown once or twice before, and both when he was young. He hadn't flown for a while and it made him nervous. Which surprised Chloe since Derek, the surfer adrenaline junkie, could stand up to anything with a goofy grin and a camera. 

"I'm sorry!" He said, throwing his hands in the air. "I don't like flying." 

"And yet you'll drive around in that piece of rusted metal?" Lan asked, sitting down. She held a egg carton cup holder that held four cups of coffee. She handed them out as she spoke. 

"Café Latte, madam." She said, handing Chloe her coffee. 

"Merci." Chloe responded, and sipped her coffee. 

"Mocha latte." She said, giving Derek his cup. 

He nodded and chewed his gum loudly. "Where's my sir?" 

"You don't get one." She said, grinning. She sat down with her cup and sipped it, smelling the aroma. 

"Why not?" He asked. 

"Well sirs usually don't drink coffee and chew gum at the same time." Chloe said. 

"That's disgusting." Lan said, wrinkling her nose. "When's Jason getting here?" 

"He said he'd be here-" Derek checked his watch. "Ten minutes ago." 

"He's lucky our flight got delayed." Chloe said. 

"We wouldn't need a delay if we were driving." Derek said. "And I'll give you the rusted metal part, but it's a valid form of transportation." 

"Not in that thing it isn't." Lan said, shaking her head. She sat back with her book and started to read. 

Derek looked to his left and watched Lan read. He looked to his right and saw Chloe flip a page. 

Derek drummed his fingers on his laptop and soon he was breaking out into a beat. 

"Oh come on!" He said. 

"What?" Chloe asked. 

"Where the hell is Jason? And why is the plane delayed?" He asked. 

"One, I don't know. Two, the plane is delayed because there's a flock of geese that refuse to leave the runway." Lan said. 

Derek frowned. "Really?" 

"Really." Lan said. "I asked the flight attendant. Chill out, Derek." 

"Hey, guys!" A voice shouted. 

Derek, Chloe, and Lan looked up to see Jason Tatum running through the airport towards them. He had a large duffel bag slung over one shoulder and his tickets stuck out the side pocket, precariously perching, ready to fall. 

"J, where have you been?" Derek asked, standing up. 

"Sorry, man. My parents called and they wouldn't let me leave." He said, laughing. 

"Everything all right?" Chloe asked. 

"Yeah, fine." He said. "What's going on? I got a message last night that told me I needed to get down to the airport by 10:30." 

"Yeah, about that…." Lan said. 

_Flight 190 will be boarding in ten minutes._

"Well, I guess we'll save it for the flight." Derek said, trying to sound enthusiastic. 

"You don't like flying?" He asked. 

"Staying in the air at thousands of feet, suspended only by the mechanics and ingenuity of pilots who not long ago were on strike for lack of sleep? Not particularly." 

He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Lan and Chloe both picked theirs up and they lined up with the rest of the passengers waiting to board. 

"When you put it like that, dude, you're asking for trouble." Jason said, laughing. 

When they had arrived on the Boeing 747, a smiling flight attendant greeted them cheerfully on their way in. Derek squeezed between parents and their screaming kids, businessmen, and elderly folk leaving their retirement homes for some fun in the sun. 

"Why are we flying anyway?" He asked. "We could get a rental car." 

"Right, and do you remember the oh I don't know, broken windows? Dented doors?" Chloe said, throwing her magazine on the seat and sliding her bag into the overhead compartment. 

"Okay, well this shouldn't be like that." Derek said. "It's not too late to get off and get a rental car. I saw the sign right outside, they've got a deal on convertibles." 

"Derek, it's okay." Lan said, reassuring him. She turned around and rolled her eyes. Jason laughed and patted him on the shoulder. 

"Brother, if you don't stop talking about the flight, we're going to lock you in the bathroom and let your organs get sucked out through the toilet." 

"See, that's an urban legend." Derek said. He frowned. "It's an urban legend, right?" 

Chloe laughed. "Yes, Virginia, there is no organ sucking toilet." She grinned. 

"Laugh all you want." Derek grumbled, and sat down next to Jason. They were seated comfortably in the middle portion of seats, covering exactly one row. 

He breathed in deeply and exhaled. 

"Try to relax." Chloe said. "It's going to be fine." 

There was a chime and the pilot's voice came through the intercom. 

_Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to flight 190. Our destination today is New York City. Attendants will come by and take your drink orders soon. We ask that all luggage be stored in the overhead compartments or under your seats…._

"I'm relaxing…" Derek said, sighing. He picked up the plastic wrapped headphones stuffed into the seat in front of him and tore open the plastic. He plugged it into the little hole on his armrest and put them on. He pressed the buttons until he found something that could pass for the music he usually listened to. He drummed on his laptop again as he listened. 

The airplane lurched slightly and he stopped drumming. His eyes widened and he looked at Chloe sitting next to him. She was quietly skimming some Psychology journal. He stuck his head out and looked at Lan sitting next to Chloe. She was asleep, her head rested comfortably on a pillow, though he knew that when she woke up, she'd have neck pain. 

He looked to his left at Jason. He too was sleeping. 

The plane experienced more turbulence, and while other passengers around him were mildly shaken, and some didn't notice at all, Derek's eyes were wide with unpredictable thoughts. It raced at the speed of light, conjuring mental images of flames and splashing water. He stuck a hand under his seat to make sure his flotation device was there. If not, he figured he could sue the airline. If they didn't crash, that is. 

Derek pulled the headphones off and decided to check his email. Slowly prying the laptop from Jason's hands, he opened it and turned it on. Logging in, he grinned as the familiar springheel jack zipped across the screen, carrying with it the picket sign that now said "36 messages". 

36? Geez, I just checked it this morning. He checked his watch. It was exactly 12:13. He scanned the subject lines of his email and saw nothing that caught his attention. Granted, a few of the "I saw an asplundh truck!" ones looked appealing, but he decided to save the busywork for another time. He looked at the email on the bottom of the list, the one already read. He opened it and read it again. 

_Dear Mr. Barnes, _

I am writing a letter to you and your team regarding some things I have experienced over the last few months. My name is John Hineman, I work at a local newspaper in New York. Mr. Mori, the priest of a local church, has fallen ill in a few days. I suspect that it has more to do with someone who does not like him, rather than any physical ailment brought on by old age. I suspect this because a friend of mine who was a member of the congregation has died from this same unusual illness. I know that you receive much mail and I hope that you will read this one and that it would persuade you to research it. My phone number is 555 - 1932 

Sincerely, 

John Hineman 

At that, Derek knew not what to say. It was vague enough that he didn't have a clue whether it was true or not, but then again….a professor of literature calling for their help? The Ghostbusters they were not, but he had called the number left and sure enough, he had talked to this professor. And the plea was a genuine one. So then they ended up on a plane, due to an unfortunate accident involving a family of possums and their only mode of transportation. And after their last New York escapade, Chloe refused to go to the Annual Psychiatric Conference just to get a hotel room for the rest of them to bunk in. She had rolled her eyes and told him that it would be unethical to use her credentials to garner a hotel room. But then she was thinking about that bed of rice thing that she had eaten the last time she was there…..but then, to Derek's dismay, she became the logical and sound-minded Chloe once more. 

"Go nuts." He had told her. 

"Can I go nuts without sitting through another of Dr. Bishop's speeches on the importance of pharmaceutical research?" Chloe asked. 

"Hey, you're the psychologist, not me." 

"You're my assistant. I order you to sit through Dr. Bishop's speeches." 

"Do they kick you out for snoring?" Derek asked, squinting. 

"Yep." She said, grinning. 

"Okay, but they don't kick you out of the hotel, right?" Derek asked. 

And now, three days later, they were on a plane. A plane that Derek might add wasn't necessarily the smoothest at that moment. 

He tapped Chloe on the shoulder. 

Without looking up she mumbled, "It's fine, Derek. It's normal." 

"Right. Normal." Derek said, unconvinced. "How long are we here for?" 

"Just another half hour." Chloe said, still not looking up. in the seat next to her, Lan stirred. She sat up and made a face at the pillow. 

"Another hour in this tin can. Sure." Derek nodded. He decided to give his readers an update. Tapping on the laptop, the springheel jack appeared once more, signaling that he had a new message. He clicked on it and his mailbox appeared, the same 36 messages still unread. A new one appeared at the top and it was marked "Asplundh". He shook his head and closed the mailbox, 37 still unread. Going back to his update, he thought for a moment before continuing. 

_Hey Freaks, Derek here. As we speak, Jason, Lan, Chloe, and I are in transit aboard a 747, on our way to New York. Whatever persuaded me to fly, I have no idea. Superman, we are not. Some say that man was destined to fly. If that was the case, we'd have wings by now. Instead, we create machinery that allows us to go thousands of feet into the air, above the clouds, and to travel in pressurized tin cans over thousands of miles. Godspeed, Derek Barnes. Well anyway, here's the story: a few days ago, I got this email. I get tons of it every day but this one caught my attention. Dr. Hineman of the Northbrook Chronicle has written me, asking for my assistance. Well, frankly, I had no idea what was going on, but I called the good man up and it turns out that he suspects that this Priest, a Mr. Mori, has been under the influence of a curse, brought on by a disgruntled member of the congregation. Freaky, it is, but what's the chance of a curse happening on the congregation? Could it be an unlucky bout of food poisoning? Previously, there has only been one other mysterious death, and now, we have Mr. Mori's untimely demise. What's the cause of this strange mishap? Well we're about to find out in a few minutes. Hope the landing is better than the takeoff. _

Hurdy Gur, 

Derek "Non-Frequent Flyer" Barnes 

Jason yawned as the overheard seatbelt sign flickered on. Flight attendants dropped by to collect cups, cans, and bottles. Chloe handed her empty coffee cup to a flight attendant and tucked her magazine into her backpack. Folding the food tray up and locking it into place, Derek mimicked her motions, then quickly put his seatbelt back on. 

"I'm surprised you lasted this long, D." Jason said, grinning. 

"Ha. Well we're here now, I wont have to do this much longer." He said. 

"Well don't worry, as soon as we get on dry land, we're going to have to-" 

"Dry land?" Jason asked. He pointed to her right. Lan, Chloe, and Derek looked where he was pointing towards and looked at the tiny porthole of the airplane, still opened. The sky was gloomy and raindrops scattered across it's plastic pane. 

"It's raining." Chloe said. "What happened to good weather?" 

"Jason, when did you read the weather report?" Derek asked, chewing on a cracker he had found stuffed into his backpack. 

"Yesterday." Jason replied. 

"So what did it say?" Lan asked. 

"Partly sunny with a chance of rain." He said, shrugging. 

"Well, I guess our chance became reality." Chloe said, sitting back in her seat. "We're from Florida, does anyone have rain gear?" 

"If you mean sneakers and something with long sleeves, yes." Derek said. "If you mean day-glow yellow rain slickers with those funky clear umbrellas, no." 

_Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to New York City. Our current weather is rainy, with showers expected to slow in the next hour. The temperature is 69 degrees. Thank you for traveling with us. We hope you have a safe stay here in New York._

"Well…time to get to dry land." Derek said, standing up. He looked around him at the swarms of people clogging up the aisles. He sat back down. "Maybe dry land will come in a few minutes." 

*** 

"This is still good." Lan said, walking outside. The air was humid and warm, and the breeze was hot, but at least the rain had died to a trickle. Behind her, Chloe and Jason had gone in search of food. Derek had wandered off, muttering something about coffee, and that left Lan in the bookstore. She browsed for a few minutes before seeing a peek of sun through the large windows that lined the airport. She left the bookstore and walked out through the swooshing doors. 

"Lan!" 

She turned around to see Chloe waving her over. Lan adjusted her luggage and walked back inside. 

"The rain's almost stopped now." She said as Chloe handed her a coffee. She smelled the warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee and looked around. "Where's Jason and Derek?" 

"Have no idea." Chloe said. "I think we need tracking signals on those two." 

"Agreed. Let's pawn one of the surfboards and get some." She said, grinning. 

"Good idea. Hey, there they are." Chloe said, watching the two stroll through the airport. Derek had the classic mischievous look on his face, and Jason…well Jason was talking on the phone. 

"What did you do, and are we going to have to post bail of any kind?" Lan asked. 

"Nope." Derek said. "But we did find something of very good interest." 

"Like what?" Chloe asked. Jason shut his cell phone. 

"Like food." He said. "Anyone up for lunch?" 

Lan shrugged and Chloe checked her watch. "Sure, why not. What time did you say we'd be at--" She paused and shrugged. "Wherever you said we were going to meet him?" 

Derek pondered for a moment before answering. Their bags were in a puddle around their feet, the four of them standing in a little circle. Around them, busy commuters walked through, swerving away before they hit the small crowd standing in the middle of the floor. 

A businessman in a long trench coat passed by and gave them a glare. 

"Uh, I think we should move to the side or something." Lan said. 

Derek shook his head. "Not until we find out what we're going to do. I'm starving." 

"Okay, so we go to lunch." Jason said. "And we're supposed to meet this guy at-" He looked at his watch. "5:30. It's 2:30 right now, cause we've been standing here getting looks from security." 

"All right, let's go." Chloe said. "Where to?" 

"The rental car, ladies, is this way." Jason made a sweeping bow towards a door. They walked out into the breeze and a van pulled up. 

"You got us a van?" Lan asked. 

"I figured that it had less of a chance of being squished under some weird occurrence." Derek said, shrugging. 

"We got the best insurance coverage too." Jason said. "Just in case some dude wants to put some ugly curse on us." 

"Yeah, you remember that little incident with the rapper, right?" Derek asked. Everyone collectively nodded. "Right. Don't want that happening again." 

*** 

"I don't know how you eat that." Derek asked, scrunching his face. He unscrunched it to make way for his hamburger. He took a big bite out of it. 

Chloe watched him put his hamburger down and then stared at her own chicken salad. "It's called taking care of one's own body." She muttered. "How do you eat that?" 

"Like this." Derek said, and took another big bite. Lan shook her head and speared a pasta noodle. 

"You don't know the half of it. Soda and cereal?" She said. 

"Apple juice and cereal." Jason said. "Don't forget the anchovies." 

"Aww, guys, just cause you can't appreciate the anchovies, doesn't mean you have to discriminate against the fish population." He said, his face in a wide grin. 

"So what's up with this case?" Lan asked, swallowing her pasta. 

"Okay, well this guy thinks there's a curse on the church. He says that some guy who had a bone to pick cursed them. And someone else had already died before the priest started getting sick too." 

"How old is the priest?" Chloe asked. 

"I don't know. I figure fifty or sixty, right? Cause then it wouldn't have to be a curse, what if he was just sick or just elderly?" 

"But then this guy, this Mr. Hineman, he works at a local newspaper and he tells me that there was nothing wrong with Mr. Mori. He was a perfectly healthy guy. Nothing to worry about, life is peachy. All of a sudden, one of their congregation starts to get sick and he dies. After that, he starts to get sick." 

Chloe shook her head. "That could be due to a number of things. Disease, for example. Contagious diseases can be spread through close contact or even through air." 

"Yeah, but this is a congregation of like 500 people every Sunday, right?" Lan looked to the others for confirmation. "If it was airborne or passed through close contact, wouldn't have there been other people sick too?" 

"Hey, guys, check this out." Derek said. He got out of his chair and grabbed a newspaper. "The Northbrook Chronicle." 

"Anything on Mori?" Lan asked, putting another piece of pasta into her mouth. 

"Yeah, something small. Says here that there's a memorial going on down at the church where he used to preach." He said. He shrugged. "Worth a look?" 


	2. A Walk in the Woods

He stood outside the large chapel. He followed some people inside and passed through the large double doors. Despite the new paint and the vending machine glowing in the corner, the small chapel had an ancient feel to it. Everything about it was old and weathered. Sunlight shone through stained glass windows at the top. A stained glass image of the Virgin Mary watched a long line of visitors, each going to the front of the cathedral holding flowers, or a candle. Some had cards and money, some had gift boxes. He spotted a child clutching a teddy bear. He and his mother disappeared into the crowd going up front and he noticed the pair leaving the front stage, the child sans teddy bear. He cast a glance back at Chloe, who was quietly watching the proceedings as they waved through the crowd in line with them. Derek dared not to say a word as he followed the people, moving slowly through the large aisle. He felt like shoving his camera back into his pack, stopping the film, like it was a violation of the church. To his left, Lan's eyes wandered around, falling on each man, woman, and child, many of which were crying. 

Derek looked to Jason and he shrugged. 

They reached the front and all of them found out why there had been such a great commotion. 

_Mr. Mori, we know you are in a better place._ It said on a card perched on the table, which was already covered with candles and flowers. It seemed like if any of the people accidentally bumped into it, the entire church would go up in flames from the flammable objects. 

An elderly woman reached the top, and Chloe moved out of the way to accommodate her. She was crying, her tears streaking down her wrinkled face. Her silver hair fell in front of her face, hiding her grief. Her shoulders shook in her dark clothing as she shakily held out a small bouquet of flowers. Her hands shook and the flowers rattled in her grasp. A young man entered the chapel and took the flowers. He nodded and set them on the table. Her tears became greater as he led her to a pew. 

Derek, Chloe, Lan, and Jason watched this and their attention was focused on another set of people who had come up to the stage. They each held a gift box and they each separated to put their gift wherever there was room, even if it was upon other boxes. They were a young couple, barely older than they. Both of them were crying. 

Derek felt it was time to leave, and they moved to the side of the church, letting more people up to the altar. Standing off to the side, Derek felt out of place, not knowing why he was here or why he had been called. 

The same young minister who had helped the elderly lady now passed through the multitude and walked toward them. 

"Derek Barnes?" He asked. Derek tilted his head in puzzlement and nodded. 

"Yeah." He said. 

"Are-are you the one who called us?" Chloe asked. 

"Oh no, no." He said. He stuck a hand out and Derek shook it, still confused. "It was Mr. Hineman who called you." He moved down the line, shaking everyone's hand. 

"I'm so sorry for your loss." Chloe said. 

"Thank you." The young man said. "I've only been here for a few weeks. I came shortly after Mr. Mori became sicker." He looked at Chloe. "You're Chloe Tanner?" 

She nodded, still not used to hearing strangers speak of her like they were friends in the past. She knew Derek mentioned her once in a while, but then she saw his entry talking about her habit of straightening rolled up magazines…. 

"I'm Richard Morgan, I've been following the website for a few days, ever since Mr. Hineman informed me of your arrival." He glanced back to check on the people and ran a hand through his dark hair. 

"How so?" She asked. 

"Uh, why don't we go into Mr. Mori's old office." He said, waving a hand to a door at the side. 

Derek nodded and the four of them entered a large and ornate office. A velvet red bench stood to the side, and several boxes were in the room, half filled with various plaques and mementos. 

"Please, take a seat." He said. 

"Mr. Morgan-" Chloe started. 

"First of all, I'd like to apologize for Mr. Hineman's actions." He shook his head as if in embarrassment. "We never thought he'd try to milk it for his own gain." 

"What do you mean?" Jason asked. 

Morgan seemed genuinely surprised. "You didn't know?" 

"Know what?" Lan said. 

"Mr. Hineman works for the Northbrook Chronicle. It's an embarrassment to this town, but it's name wouldn't suggest so. It's a valued newspaper, but Hineman writes a column. It's a tabloid column. It's a mini-Weekly World News right in your mailbox." "You're right, we didn't know that." Chloe said. "So are you saying that there is no curse?" She felt a bit silly putting the word "curse" into her sentence. 

"Despite what he's said, Kenneth Mori was very sick. He was suffering with pneumonia a few months before he died, and his doctor has named that as the cause of death. I am very sorry that Mr. Hineman caused you to spend your money to get here. We will of course, reimburse you for your troubles. We have already contacted Mr. Heinman and he has cancelled the meeting that you were here for." 

Derek nodded in slight disappointment. "Well, thanks." He said. They stood up and one by one filed out of the office just like they went in. 

"Again, very sorry to have brought you down here." He said. They nodded and he returned to the congregation. 

*** 

"So do you believe him?" Lan asked. They were sitting in an Internet café, nursing steaming mugs in front of them, while Jason diligently tapped on the computer. 

"The Northbrook Chronicle is a newsletter that has a circulation of about a thousand. It's main goal is to "enlighten those on the happenings of the paranormal." All over the country." Jason said, pointing to the laptop's bright screen. 

"And the big story happens to be…" Derek did a drum roll. "TaDa! Can't you see it now? "Beloved Mr. Mori dies at the hand of unhappy postal worker bent on revenge." 

"We came all this way to check out a tabloid?" Chloe asked in disbelief. 

"No, no, we came out here to check on Mr. Mori's untimely demise. This little tabloid thing is actually very interesting also, cause Hineman's this nutball who claims also that the church was a front for illegal weapons deals." 

Jason laughed. "So what religion is this?" He asked. Derek shrugged. 

"From what I've seen, it's a mix of New Age stuff. You know, meditation, yoga, peace of the spirit." 

"So it might be possible that the congregation already believes that there's a demonic force at work here." Chloe said. "Some cultures have been greatly influenced by religion and the apparently unexplained phenomena that often gets billed for the hand of Satan." 

"What, like spiritual healers?" Lan said. 

Chloe nodded vigorously. "Exactly. Spiritual healers who claim that they have the healing power from God have been traveling for decades, gaining reputations and fans and it's this big influence. And if the healing doesn't happen, well you must be wrong with God." She shook her head. "Kinda sad how they abuse the religion of it." 

"All right, so we have a few ideas. A, Hineman's a tabloid journalist who wants to sell that a curse killed Mori. B, there really is a curse. Why are we here?" 

"Well, we were here to find out what killed Mori. But since he died of pneumonia and not of anything weird…" Lan shrugged. 

"But who says he died of pneumonia?" Derek asked. "I mean, the only thing we have to go on is this guy Richard Morgan." 

Chloe nodded. "True. So what do we do now? I mean, I guess we could pack it up and go home." 

"Not so fast. Let's pay a visit to Mori's doctor." Derek said. 

Chloe sipped the rest of her already cooling coffee and hopped off the stool. Lan put her jacket on and they packed up. Walking outside, they headed towards the parked van. 

"So what makes you think that they're going to be all happy about giving over medical records?" Jason asked. 

"Well they have such a respected and excellent doctor visiting them." Derek said, tapping Chloe on the shoulder. 

Chloe rolled her eyes. "What if I had been like a hairdresser instead of a psychologist?" She asked. 

"Well, then Derek would have better hair. You win some, you lose some." Lan said, laughing. 

Derek fished out the keys and the van beeped as the doors unlocked. 

"What's wrong with my hair?" 

*** "Dr. Gelman will see you now." The secretary said. Chloe stood up and nodded to the secretary. Derek flashed a polite smile at the woman as Jason, Lan, and he sat in the waiting room. Jack Mori might not have been a healthy man, but he certainly was a rich one. Louis Gelman was one of the best doctors in the city. They learned this when they asked around the large office building for his office number. The building itself was ritzy and elegant, a sharp contrast to Derek's t-shirt and shorts kind of guy. If he wasn't a drive around town kind of guy, he'd be carrying his skateboard. And Lan would be carrying the first aid kit. 

"Dr. Tanner?" A voice said when Chloe walked in. 

Chloe nodded. The man in front of her was in his mid 40's, his hair streaked with grayish silver. His intelligent eyes stared at her from behind wire rimmed glasses. He held out a hand and she shook it. She absently thought about taking Lan's jacket off, but thought otherwise, instead sitting down to bear the heat in the room. She had borrowed it after they entered the building. She needed to look a bit more professional than she was at the time, wearing khakis, sneakers, and a tank top. 

"And what can I do for you today?" He asked. "I don't get many psychologists to see me." 

She feigned a smile. "Dr. Gelman, I'm wondering about a former patient of yours, Jack Mori?" She asked, hoping the name rang familiar. It did and she inwardly shouted triumph. 

"Yes, Jack. Mir. Mori was very ill for only a few months. If I may ask, why are you investigating?" He asked. 

Chloe wondered what to say. She cleared her throat. 

"Well, I offer my expertise to a few friends of mine, once in a while. They run an internet company, and once in a while I offer advice and my expert opinion. We were wondering about Mr. Mori because we received a letter from someone who told us that Mr. Mori had died…..unusually." 

Stony silence sat between them. 

_I know it. He thinks I'm a nutcase. A crazy psychologist, now there's a new joke._

"And this Internet company, it would be…" 

Chloe braced herself and the words just came tumbling. "FreakyLinks.com. They investigate--" 

"Miss Tanner." The doctor interrupted. "I have heard of your escapades with this internet company." 

Chloe froze. "You have?" 

"Yes. I have. And I must say that your friend has a knack for treading where he is not wanted." 

"But we received a letter asking for our help, it wasn't something we dug up on our own." She protested. 

"I understand that. Who sent you the request?" He asked. 

"I'm just wondering if Jack Mori really died of pneumonia like his assistant at the church says." She said. 

The doctor frowned. "Pneumonia? Who on earth told you that?" 

"Uh, Richard…" Chloe tried to think of the last name. "Morgan, Richard Morgan. He's Mr. Mori's assistant." 

"I went to the funeral, I didn't meet anyone named Richard Morgan." He scowled. 

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked. "Well, no, I meant, are you sure that you never met anyone by that name?" 

"Absolutely. I was Jack's doctor, I went to the funeral and there were people flocking to me, thanking me for my work. And I was told that everyone in his congregation, even ones that had moved away, came to his funeral. It was even in the paper." He shook his head. "They really loved his work, you know?" 

"What did he do?" She asked. "I knew he was the leader of the church." 

"Yes, but he also built orphanages. The closest one is a few miles outside of the city. It's called Dawn Meadows, I think." 

"Thanks." She said. She started to stand up. Stopping midway, she looked back at the doctor. "If you don't mind me asking, what did Mr. Mori die of?" 

"He was a good man, but not a particularly healthy one. He died of a heart attack." He said. 

A nurse stuck her head into the office. "Excuse me, Sir, but Janet Dover is on line two." She closed the door. 

"Excuse me." He said. "Is there anything else?" 

"No." Chloe said, shaking her head. "Thank you for your time." 

He nodded a welcome as she opened the heavy oak door. Stepping back out into the hall, she rejoined Derek, Lan, and Jason. 

*** 

"So?" Lan asked as they rode the elevator down to the main level. 

"So, Richard Morgan wasn't telling us the truth." She said. "And I'm not even sure that's his real name." 

"What do you mean?" Derek asked. 

"I talked to Dr. Gelman. According to him, Mori didn't die of pneumonia, he died of a heart attack. Which makes sense, since if you didn't notice the pictures that were still up in his office, he wasn't the thinnest of people." 

"Okay, so he died of a heart attack. So why did Morgan lie about it?" Jason asked. 

"I have no idea. And why he would say that was his name, when Dr. Gelman never met anyone named Richard Morgan." 

"Maybe he forgot." 

"But then he said that everyone in his congregation was at the funeral." 

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. They walked out into the lobby and headed towards the parking garage where their rental van was parked. 

"But maybe he just didn't meet anyone named Richard Morgan." Lan said. "That many people, you can't talk to them all at once." 

"I don't know. It sounds kinda thin to me." Derek said. "Besides whether it's his real name or not, why would he lie about Mori?" 

"And you know what?" Jason said. "If he was lying about Mori's cause of death, then maybe he was lying about Heinman too." 

Derek looked at his watch. "It's 4:59. We're supposed to meet this guy at the Western Sun coffee house." 

"Okay, so assuming that Morgan was lying about him canceling the meeting, let's go." Lan said. 

"Okay, let's try it." Derek said. Chloe jumped into the passenger seat as Jason took the wheel. Grabbing the map from Derek's pack, Chloe started to read off directions. 

"Hey, Lan, why don't we do a running commentary?" He said, smiling. Lan took out the camera. 

"Okay….we're on." 

"Hey, Freaks. We're on the road here in New York City. As you can see, I made it safe and sound. And with all my organs. Jason Tatum is our driver today and Chloe's at the navigation. Lan's behind the camera, say hi, Lan." 

Lan turned the camera on herself, holding it as far away as possible. "Hey guys." 

She turned to back to Derek. 

"Okay, we got here and to our dissapointment, we were rejected. This guy, Morgan, said that everything in the letter was a sham, a ploy to get us here and do this tabloid writer's dirty work for him. So then we had traveled all this way up here to partly sunny, mostly rainy New York to be rejected? Not at all. So we did some digging with the help of our multi-talented Dr. Tanner, and we've found some very interesting things. More on that later. Right now, though we're on our way to a meeting with the mysterious person who sent us the original email asking for our help. Okay, so he works for a tabloid. But Richard Morgan, the guy we spoke to at the church, wasn't really the most truthful, so who knows?" 

Jason rolled to a stop. 

Lan paused the recording and handed the camera to Derek. Jason parked and got out. 

"Why didn't we just get a cab?" He asked. 

"Because that's a lot of money that we don't have, brother." Derek said. 

"I'll drive next time." Chloe said. She looked at the large sign decorating the café. 

"Western Sun, huh?" She said. "This is the third coffee shop I've been to today." 

Derek looked at his watch. "Right on time. Let's go." He said. 

They walked in and looked around. Not quite knowing what to do, they sat down at a table. 

"If he's not here by 6, we'll go." He said. 

"I don't even want to ask, but does anyone want any coffee?" Chloe asked. 

"I'm so caffeinated, I could pass as a cup of coffee." Lan said, groaning. A customer passed by with a cookie on a small plate and her eyes followed it. "I haven't had cookies though." She stood up and she and Chloe went to order. 

"So…." Jason said. "You think he'll show?" 

"I have no idea." Derek said. "I have no idea about a lot of things right now." 

"Too bad we didn't get the conversation with Morgan on video." Jason said. 

"Yeah, too bad." 

*** 

6: 52 pm 

"Whatever happened to 'if he's not here by 6, we'll leave'?" Lan asked, yawning. Jet lag had consumed them all, even though the flight wasn't a long one. 

"Guess he's not going to show." Derek said. "Let's go. I guess we should check into a hotel or something." 

"Hey, didn't this guy have a phone number?" Jason asked. "Why don't we call him?" 

"Why not?" Chloe asked, though she wasn't quite sure what she was responding to. Her head was on her arms and her eyes were closed partially. 

"Okay." Derek yawned. "Let's call him." He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. Dialing, he waited for a ring. 

"Hi, this is John Hineman-" 

"Hey, hi this is Derek Barnes-" 

"-not here right now, leave a message." 

Derek sighed and waited for the beep. 

"Hey, Mr. Hinman, this is Derek Barnes, I was wondering if we could schedule another meeting sometime soon. We're in New York and we'll be here for about another-" 

He looked at Jason, who held up three fingers. Chloe held up two and Lan didn't even respond. 

"-another two or three days. Uh, call us." Derek hung up. 

"You are so bad at leaving messages." Lan said, shaking her head. 

"I get stage fright." Derek said. 

"Stage fright? You're not even on stage." Lan said. "We should go now. I'm about to drop." 

Chloe fished a few dollars out of her pocket and threw them on the table. She blinked to clear the fuzziness from her eyes. She considered buying another cup of coffee for the road and she noticed the "No Tipping Necessary" sign hanging on the menu that was on the back wall behind the flurrying activity of people in aprons. She grabbed her cash from the table and stuffed it back into her pocket, one awkward point sticking into her skin through the fabric. 

"I'll drive." Jason said, watching Lan shuffle into the van. She immediate closed her eyes and fell asleep in her chair. 

"What's with them?" Derek asked. 

"They're just tired I guess." Jason said, shrugging. 

"Maybe it's the curse." Derek said and they laughed. 

"Okay, okay, we'll go home now." Derek said. 


End file.
